I Don't Care Anymore
by IncurablyAwesome
Summary: He came one day and didn't leave. When Ryou first met the spirit living inside his body, he hated him. He would always hate him. He would do anything to make him go. Anything. Tendershipping and Bronzeshipping. Giftfic for MidknightXXX :D
1. Chapter 1

Special thanks to MidknightXXX for requesting this ^^ All credit goes to her for this awesome plot idea~!

I think this first chapter turned out to be aLOTlike season zero :/ sorrei ⌐⌐ I claim absolutely no rights to such an awesome season. Or any of the other seasons, for that matter :D They were all pretty awesome ^^

* * *

><p>Ryou didn't know why he was clutching the bizarre gold ring around his neck tighter than usual. After all, whatever was to happen today had already happened; he was just about to find out about it.<p>

The Millennium Ring was his lucky charm; his father had given it to him after coming back from a trip toEgypt. And Ryou treasured it; he never took it off. Even when he was at school, he kept it hung around his neck, concealed beneath his school uniform. He felt exposed and almost naked without it.

And today, he certainly needed luck. He had taken the Ring out from its hiding place and was holding onto it with both hands, his slender, pale fingers wrapped around it tightly. He was about to get his marked Ancient History assignment back.

This was worrying him much more than it did the other students. It was their last piece of assessment for the entire semester. Ryou had, of course, aced its two predecessors, and handed in this third over a week ago now. All that remained now was to find out his mark and his Ancient History overall grade would be determined.

He was grateful that this class was his first up; he didn't know how he would have coped being left in the dark until the afternoon.

Ryou let the Ring's weight fall back onto its rope, and it landed against his chest with a soft chink. Sighing, he pulled the necessary stationary for Ancient History from his bag and filed into the classroom with the rest of the students.

His teacher didn't waste time; she just handed out the assignments as soon as everyone was seated.

When Ryou received his, it was face-down. He gulped. This was it. Brushing the Millennium Ring lightly with one hand, he flipped it over.

A giant 'B+' stared out at him from the confines of the page.

It took a moment for this to register. He had received a B+? He stared at it, dumbfounded. He checked the name again. This was definitely his paper.

Trying to hold back a tear, Ryou opened the task sheet and looked at the teacher's comments. All it said was that he had done well. What did that mean? It was a B! A _B_! He _never_ got Bs.

As soon as the teacher sat down again and invited students to come up and discuss their marks, Ryou was up at the front of the room. Hesitantly, he placed the paper on her desk.

"I...don't understand what I did wrong here."

Puzzled, she looked at the mark. "You got a B+; that's good."

Ryou shifted uncomfortably. "It's not an A; what should I have done differently?"

She picked up the paper. "Let's see...here." She handed it to him. "You didn't reference your source in this paragraph; I have to count it as plagiarism and not mark that section."

Ryou gawked at her. "What?" Without thinking, he snatched the paper and looked at where she had indicated. A very large paragraph had been highlighted and crossed out. "But I didn't plagiarise that, and I didn't have a source! It was background knowledge...I already knew it."

She looked at it again. "Then you need to reference where you originally found it out, or find an alternative source giving the same information."

Ryou was practically crying. "My Dad is an archaeologist; he works in Egypt all the time. I know all about Ancient Egypt from him."

The teacher just shrugged. "I'm sorry, Ryou, but I have to mark according to a criteria and this paragraph-" She pointed at the paragraph in question "-Cannot be marked unless properly sited. Don't worry about it; you're still going to get an A for your final mark."

Nodding dejectedly, Ryou gave a sad sigh and, picking up his assignment, trudged back to his desk. He had worked so hard on that paper – and he had thought he would do well, since he had so much background knowledge on the subject.

He knew in his heart of hearts that his teacher was right; after all, it didn't matter if he got a single B+ after his previous As, and it wasn't her fault that she had to mark to the criteria.

_She thinks I'm lying, though_, he thought sadly. _I could see it in her eyes; she really does think I plagiarised. _He rested his head on his desk sadly. _How could she? I'd never do anything like that._

He gave another sigh and picked up the Millennium Ring from where it hung limply around his neck. "Better luck next time, I guess," he murmured. He placed it on his desk. "I suppose this is for the best; if I get too used to getting straight As, I'll start to be overconfident.

He looked at the Ring as though he somehow expected it to answer. Ryou could have sworn that it was laughing at him.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the afternoon that anything out of the ordinary occurred.<p>

Ryou was on his way towards the school's exit when it happened, school having finished. He let out another sad sigh. He still couldn't believe he had actually gotten a B. A B+, but still, a B.

_I still wish she had believed me._ Ryou's head was hung low sadly. _Not because of the A...I just hate it when people think I'm lying. _

_It's not your fault._

The voice that Ryou heard sounded like his, and could well have been his own thought. For a second, he paid it no mind and kept walking.

_I know it's not my fault in that I didn't do anything bad, _Ryou thought, as if in answer. _But I still should have known to reference. It's just a stupid reference; why am I still thinking about it?_

_Because you were right. _

For a second, Ryou's step faltered. Then he brushed it aside. He had thoughts like that all the time. _No changing it now; it's like that saying, 'He knew he was right as he rode along, but he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong'. It's not about whether I was right or not; it's just about how things are._

_They're only that way because you let them be, Ryou._

_Well, what can I do about it now? _Ryou asked himself, feeling foolish. Talking to oneself was the first sign of madness, after all. _What's done is done. I got a B. That's it._

_You just said it wasn't about the A. It's about the teacher thinking you're lying._

Ryou wasn't even aware that he had stopped walking. _Well, it doesn't matter._ He shook his head. _This is crazy; stop talking to yourself, Ryou. _

_She doesn't have to think that. She shouldn't think that._

_She can think what she likes, _Ryou thought, not liking where his train of thought was going.

_She doesn't have to think at all._

This was too intense. "It's a great day today," he said aloud, causing a few confused heads to turn. He was grateful to hear the words in his ears and not his head.

Sweat had started to bead on his brow. He gulped. He just had to cool it; stare at a blade of grass for five seconds or something, stop himself from thinking any conscious thoughts. Get this other voice out of his head.

_I can stop her thinking._

_No I can't,_ Ryou thought instantly. _I can't. _

There was no explanation for the rising panic inside of him. He was terrified. _Stop it! Just stop it! You're scaring me! Please, go away..._ No, not 'please go away'...what was he saying? He was scaring himself?

_I'm going to stop her._

_You're not me! Who are you? Please, stop it, just _stop_ it! _Ryou pleaded.

_Sleep now, my little one. Nobody will think you're a liar when you wake up..._

Ryou fell to his knees, suddenly struggling to stay awake. _Please, don't do this!_

Ryou had fallen into a whirlpool. A whirlpool of colour and sound. It was the only explanation for the way the street around him was spinning in an out of control cartwheel using him as its pivot point. He felt a sudden, sharp, burning sensation against his chest.

_Just relax._

_I'm not going to relax,_ Ryou thought, fighting to keep his eyes open. Relax? Relax...relax...

Involuntarily, Ryou closed his eyes. _Relax..._

It was such a nice word...

* * *

><p>Ryou was back in the school grounds when he suddenly realised where he was.<p>

The feeling of doing so was not like that of waking up. At least, not in the same way that his last memory had felt like going to sleep. This was more of...a nothing. Like he had gone from being awake to being...awake.

He spun around, his heard hammering against the confines of his chest almost painfully. "Where are you?" he shouted, his voice thick with fear. "What did you do?"

_What I promised to, little one._

His whole body trembling like a falling leaf, Ryou sank to the ground. Fearfully, he clutched his head, his nails biting into his skin. "Get out of my head!" he wailed.

_I can't do that._

Suddenly frantic, Ryou sprang to his feet. Not knowing what else to do, he ran.

He ran for his life. Whatever these thoughts were...they wanted to hurt people. The mere presence of them was simply evil. _They_ were evil.

_You can't run from me, little one._

"Leave me alone!" he cried. "Go away!"

Ryou had slammed into the gate before he even saw it coming. All coherent thoughts gone, he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

He squished his eyes shut. He was going to hear it again. That...voice. That thing. That evil thing.

It didn't come. Ryou lay there by the school gate, curled into a tiny ball, rocking himself back and forth for what felt like hours. Nobody arrived to help him.

But at least the voice was gone. For now.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mummy! Mummy, he's waking up!"

There was a scuffling of feet somewhere to Ryou's left. He twitched his eyelids, struggling against the force of the fatigue keeping them closed.

"Ryou? Ryou, honey, are you okay?"

His thoughts were becoming coherent. He recognised the voice; it was his mother. The first had been his younger sister, Amane.

For some reason, Ryou had never felt so tired. "Mmph" was the only answer he could muster. A few seconds later, he managed to open his eyes. Relief flooded in with a surge as he saw the familiar faces of his parents and sister. It doubled a second later when he realised that he was back home in his own bed. "What…happened…?" he breathed, not attempting to lift his head.

"You fainted, Ryou." It was his father who spoke. "When you didn't pick Amane up from the junior school her teacher called us. One of the grounds staff found you by the gate after everybody else had left."

Ryou gulped._ I don't remember fainting_. The memories came crashing back upon him. He had heard that voice in his head. He had blanked out. He had heard it again when he came too. And it had said…!

"My history teacher," he gasped suddenly. "Is she okay?"

His family looked at him as though he had gone stark raving mad. "Your teacher?" his mother asked. "Ah, yes, I assume so…Ryou, it was raining when they found you. Are you sure you're okay?"

_As long as I don't hear any voices, I'm better than okay_. He nodded. "Yeah, totally fine. I…" He shook his head to clear it. "I didn't do so well in one of my assignments. I was pretty torn up. I guess…I don't really remember why I was unconscious…"

A thought occurred to him. He looked down at himself. His Millennium Ring was still hanging around his neck.

It was strange. That golden eye…so mesmerising.

Ryou had often mused that it was watching him – that was why he loved wearing it; so he could feel like it was watching out for him. But now…after what had happened at school…its gaze seemed different somehow. Hard and penetrating, like it was staring deep into his soul and slicing through it physically.

He didn't like it.

He pulled the Ring from around his neck and handed it to his mother. "Mum, would you mind…watching this for me?"

She looked surprised by this sudden change of topic. "Your Ring? Certainly; you don't usually take it off."

Ryou's laugh sounded more light-hearted than he was. "I dunno, I just feel like I can't concentrate with it on right now. It's like it's mocking me."

His father smiled in a playful mocking kind of way. "If I'd known that I wouldn't have given it to you."

With the Ring out of his hands, Ryou began to feel a little better. "Just keep it safe; I'll feel naked without it by tomorrow, I expect."

"Well," Ryou's mother said, standing up, "I think you've had enough excitement for one day. It's late; get some rest, and we'll try to figure out what happened when you've woken up tomorrow. Need anything?"

Ryou shook his head. "I should be okay. Thanks, mum. Everyone."

"Goodnight, Onii-chan!" Amane exclaimed, flinging her arms around him tightly before allowing herself to be peeled off her brother. "Tomorrow, I have to tell you all about my day today! We played poisonball, and guess what? I _won_! But a lot of stuff happened during the game so there's still a lot to tell you about so I haven't spoiled it for you really. See in the middle of the game, this one girl…"

By this point, she had been led out of the room and the door was closed, leaving a half-smiling Ryou alone with his thoughts.

He switched his bedside light off and rested his head on his pillow again, content in the darkness of his room.

He closed his eyes, his uneasiness quickly taking over him again with his parents and sister gone. The darkness all too instantly lost its comforting effect and turned into a pressing wall of blackness; an entity in its own right, staring at him menacingly through its eyes of nothingness. Ryou gulped, considering reaching for his light. That was just ridiculous; everything was okay.

Right?

The way that voice in his head had talked about his Ancient History teacher...it hadn't been good. He pulled his blanket tighter around himself.

_What voice? Come on; I was just upset about the B. My memory is funny because I'm tired. I probably just got some kind of dizzy spell and collapsed at the gate, and everything before that was just dodgy memory_.

He opened his eyes again. In the darkness, it made little difference._That's right; I was feeling uneasy, but I'm okay now. Mum took my Ring away, too, so I don't need to worry about how creepy it looked just now. I'm completely fine. Just an ordinary high school nerd who gets hung up on schoolwork way too easily._ Finally able to relax, he closed his eyes.

_That's not true, my little one._

For a full minute, Ryou could have sworn that his heart had stopped beating.

_You are many things, but ordinary is not one of them. You are so, so special, and that's why I try so hard to take care of you_.

"Go away," Ryou half-cried. "I hate you."

_You need me to do what you aren't strong enough to do yourself yet. Like take care of that mortal woman who called you a liar. I can't leave you, my little one; you don't know what's best for you._

"You're me. I don't know how, but you are. That's why you don't know what's best for me either." Ryou began rubbing his ears, trying to block out the sound from within.

_Oh but little one, I'm not. I'm very different. I may be your other half, but I'm certainly not you._

_That's what you want me to think; that you're anything other than a figment of my imagination. But I know you're not; you're just some kind of manifestation of my inner thoughts_.

This thought – undoubtedly his own – terrified him. Even if it was true – which it had to be – it could only mean one thing – he, Ryou Bakura, was developing schizophrenia. It was enough to make him sob.

_I know you're afraid, my Ryou. I would be too. But you're perfectly sane; you will come to accept me in time as I have you._

_Why are you here? Where did you come from?_

_I came from the vessel that brought me to you – all the way from Egypt, all those thousands of years ago._

_The Millennium Ring?_ Ryou's breath caught. _But- why? The Ring is gone now._

_Oh, my little one; you are so naïve. The Ring was merely a vessel; it brought me to you, and now that I have you I don't intend to give you up._

_I've had that Ring for years._ Ryou seized his pillow and buried his head underneath it. _Why now? Why would you wait?_

_Because I needed time to get to know you, and you needed time to adjust yourself to my presence._

_Hah. I've seriously adjusted well._

_Oh, but you have._

_You don't know what you're saying._

_I believe I do. We're having this conversation, aren't we? You aren't still trying to convince me that I am merely the result of a neurological disorder?_

_I-_ Ryou hesitated. _You are! But I need to…to know exactly what kind of manifestation you are._

_I've been with you even since you were a boy, my little one. I've become a part of your soul and you haven't even realised it._

_Get out of my head._

_I can't leave you; you are too precious. We were destined to be together._

_Get out of my head!_

_My little Ryou. How I love you._

_Now!_

_We will speak very soon. Perhaps I'll visit your dreams where we can talk properly, face to face. Goodbye, my little one._

And then, just like that, the voice fell silent.

Ryou pulled the pillow tighter around his head. It was almost difficult to breathe. He knew exactly what he had to do.

* * *

><p>"He- hello? Is this…Domino City Hospital of Mental Health? Yes, hi…my name is Ryou Bakura. I believe I'm developing schizophrenia and I'd like to check myself in."<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Ryou hadn't been able to look his parents in the eye when he informed them the next morning of the phone call he had made. Even harder had been telling them that what he had told the help line was true – he had, in truth, been hearing voices. Or at least, one voice in particular.

He had arranged to meet with a psychiatrist the next day to try and get a diagnosis. That was where he was going now; since it was Saturday, Amane had been left with Ryou's grandmother for the day while their parents took Ryou to the hospital. Seated in the back seat of the stiflingly silent car, Ryou was alone with his thoughts – and the voice.

_I'm glad they accepted what I said without trying to convince me that I was fine, _he thought. _I can tell they're worried about me – this is for the best, though._

_You're being ridiculous, Ryou. You know as well as I do that there's nothing wrong with you._

Ryou didn't answer him.

_It. I didn't answer _it_. _He clenched his fists. _I can't afford to start thinking of it as a conscious entity. I'm too smart to let that happen._

There was a small chuckle. _My little one, you're still so determined to hate me. What must I do to quell your fears?_

"Mum, can you please turn the radio on?" he asked as loudly as possible.

"Sure, honey." She made to other sound, her voice laden with worry. Ryou bit his lip.

The radio buzzed to life.

"…_which has been the first loss for the team since their famous defeat in 2004. And that's the sport for today. Now for the weather; we should expect a few brief showers either tomorrow or Sunday and mostly fine for the rest of the week…_"

Ryou was grateful for the distraction.

_You can't escape me, my Ryou._

Ryou squished his eyes shut.

"_And now, onto some more interesting news. The police are still searching for the murderer of thirty-nine-year-old Lisa Adrian, whose body was found with a stab wound yesterday afternoon in the Ancient History classroom where she taught."_

Ryou's blood didn't turn to ice. It stopped flowing altogether.

"_The killer left no clues as to his identity or whereabouts, and forensic scientists are investigating the crime scene now."_

Ryou began to feel dizzy. Lisa Adrian was the name of his history teacher. She was…dead?

_What have I done?_ Ryou couldn't bring himself to speak aloud.

Ryou was struggling to breathe. Oh god. That voice…it had kept its promise.

_I wouldn't break a promise to you, my little one. _

_This is my fault! She's dead because of me! _

_Hush, my Ryou; you had nothing to do with this. It was me._

_And you _are_ me! I have to get into the hospital. I have to get out of society where I can't hurt anybody. I have to become strong enough to fight this thing inside me. I need help! _A tear trickled down his face.

_These people can't help you – you don't need help. They'll give you sedatives and depressants and tell you that I'm not real. You need to learn to trust me, so that we can be together forever like we were meant to be._

_I hate you. You're a murderer and you made me one too._

_I only want to protect you. I only do what you need to do that you aren't strong enough to do. I'm here to make you stronger._

"Go away!"Ryou wailed. "Go away! I don't need you! I hate you!" He clutched at his head as though he could somehow scratch the voice out physically. "Get out of my head!"

"Ryou!" His mother reached for his arm and held it gently, while his father pulled the car over and reached for his seatbelt. "Ryou, calm down. There's nothing there!"

"Keep driving!" Ryou pleaded. "Please, I need help!"

* * *

><p>"How long have you been hearing these voices, Mr. Bakura?"<p>

"I told you, it's just one voice. And it started…yesterday."

The psychiatrist lifted his eyebrows. "Just one day?"

Ryou blinked. "…What, is there some kind of waiting period?"

"No, but it's…difficult to diagnose a mental condition that hasn't been going on for at least a few months."

A few _months_? "Please…" He could feel himself about to break crying again. "I can't wait a few months out there." Tears began to flow again. "I don't think I could take it. I just want it to stop. Please, I don't care what happens, I just can't be out there. I'm dangerous."

He was seated across the desk from the psychiatrist. His parents were waiting outside, pacing.

"Dangerous?"

"I…" He gulped. "I've been having lapses in my memory. The voice…it tells me that it's going to do things…bad things…then I suddenly forget what happens only to discover that…I've done…the bad things," he finished.

"Can you tell me what kind of 'bad things' it's made you do?"

At this, Ryou hesitated. Could he really say that he had killed somebody? But then…it would just look like he had formulated this whole 'mental health' fiasco just to cover up his crime. He gulped. _If I tell him, if he doesn't put me in here I'll be put in prison. I won't get any help there._

_No. You won't. Don't tell him._

_But…at least you wouldn't be able to hurt anybody else._

_Don't be so sure._

Ryou felt a shiver run down his spine at these words.

_I'm going to tell him what you did. You can't stop me. _

_Watch me. _

And then he felt a feeling of unparalleled exhaustion seeping into his being. _Oh, god, please don't. Not now!_

_Go to sleep, little one. You don't know what you're doing; I'm going to make it all better._

_No!_

* * *

><p>The first thing Ryou was aware of was that both of his hands and ankles were bound. He let out a stunned gasp.<p>

He could only see as far as he could turn his head; he was strapped down on a hard, uncomfortable bed in an otherwise empty room. He gulped. There was nobody in there with him.

"Hello?" His voice was trembling so much that he could barely form words. "Wh- where am I? What happened?"

_What the hell did you do?_

_You can relax; nobody was hurt. _

_I asked you a question. Why am I being restrained?_

_There were some…complications._

_You mean you tried to attack somebody and failed._

No answer came. Ryou felt an unusual smugness. _So you're not quite as tough as you crack yourself up to be._

"Ryou?"

Ryou jumped as he saw a person appear in the doorway. He didn't recognise her; she was wearing a white lab coat. A doctor, then?

"What happened?" He raised his head as far off the bed as it would go. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean- I- I was in the interview when-"

"Shh, calm down. Nobody is angry with you, Ryou. Try to relax."

"Where am I?" His breath was shallow with panic.

"You've been taken to the Domino City Mental Health Asylum."

"What time is it?"

She checked her watch. "Almost two o'clock in the afternoon."

Ryou's blood ran cold. His interview had been that morning.

"Ryou." The doctor crouched down so that she was eye to eye with him. "You've been taken here for observation and to prevent yourself from causing harm to yourself and to others. We can't lay down a diagnosis with this amount of time but it doesn't look like you have schizophrenia. It looks closer to dissociative identity disorder – you may know it as multiple personality disorder."

_She doesn't know anything, does she? I'm hardly a separate personality. I'm a separate individual._

_Shut up._

"But- does that usually involve hearing voices?"

She shook her head. "Like I said, we can't draw a proper conclusion until you've been under observation for a couple of months."

"Then…" Ryou hesitated. "If you can't diagnose me, then why are you keeping me here without a diagnosis?"

She paused. "Ryou, you attacked your psychiatrist. With a letter opener."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Is he okay? Oh, god- I'm so, so sorry! Where is he? Can I-"

She hushed him again. "Like I said, it looks like dissociative identity disorder. What attacked the doctor was _not_ you, Ryou. It was somebody else."

"The same somebody I keep hearing in me head?"

She looked thoughtful. "We can't work that out just yet. There's a chance."

_A chance. She should hear herself. You're really putting your faith into this woman?_

"Doctor, I…"

Unexpectedly, Ryou burst into tears yet again. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm scared. I want to be normal again."

"We're going to help you, Ryou. We're going to figure out what's wrong with you and make you better, and you'll be perfectly safe here; you won't be a danger to anyone and nobody is going to be a danger to you."

Ryou nodded, sniffling. "Will I be able to see my family?"

"You will during visiting hours – and naturally, you'll be in a controlled environment so you won't have to worry about your other personality doing them any harm."

'_Other personality'. Who does she think she is? _His 'voice' was close to a sneer.

"I can't thank you enough, Doctor…"

"Keating."

"I can't thank you enough, Doctor Keating."

She smiled at him. "Okay, would you like to be let up now?"

Ryou nodded again. "Thank you."

As she undid Ryou's bindings, he noticed two heavy-bodied men enter through the doorway and flank him on either side. He gulped. Obviously, nobody would be trusting Ryou – the boy with the violent alter-ego – alone just yet. Fair enough; he didn't, either.

_My poor Ryou. _His voice returned to its usual croon. _Look at what these people are doing to you! Can't you see? They'll eat you up alive in this place._

Ryou didn't answer.

_When I get the chance, I'm going to set you free._

_I'd like to see you try._

Despite being more restricted than he had ever felt in his life, Ryou had never felt so empowered.


End file.
